Hawaii

Rob and I arrived on the Big Island of Hawaii in Kona almost 48 hours ago and it's been pretty action-packed.

The plane flew between Maui and Hawaii, landing over the water. The landscape here is moon-like and it's apparent that this is an active volcano, or at least was recently. Lava rocks cover everything. The only green parts are where people have planted trees or grass, right near the coast. The highway cuts about a half-mile inland and runs along the coast but is carved into this violent tumble of brown and black lava rocks. Clearly we are on the dry side of the island, and clearly eruptions occurred recently. So recent, in fact, that in places you can see "No Parking" signs swallowed up to their necks in black hardened lava. Once your back is to the ocean, everything slopes uphill to the highest peak in Hawaii, Mauna Kea, which rises over 13,000 feet into the sky. There are clouds swirling around its peak constantly and it doesn't look very hospitable, yet at night you can see dots of light where people carved out towns and manage to live.

It's not pretty.

The water, on the other hand, is stunning. Dark blue and turquoise  up against the browns and blacks is really striking, and best of all is that it's warm. The heat and humidity is not that bad (yet), and I am growing more confident that (a) I will not die and (b) I will not be last.

After we arrived we picked up the rental car and I took Rob over to the Tropic Bird charter flight company, which is housed in a trailer next to the airport. He went on a check ride with the local flight instructor and I went to the hotel to get us checked in.

This hotel is like nowhere I have ever stayed. Once you veer off the moonscape of the main highway towards the ocean you can see the enclave of tourist hotels and condos by the bright green palms and grass. The grass, where planted, abuts this explosion of lava rock and it's a very interesting juxtaposition.

I arrived to find the nicest valet guy, who took all 5 bags (3 were Rob's) and had them sent directly to my room. Check in was quick and painless, and we are staying in room 2263 in the Palace Tower. There are four buildings, separated by paths and lagoons and pools and restaurants. I think there are like 15 restaurants in this hotel alone. To get to my room I could either take the tram or the boat. The tram wasn't there, but the boat was, so I climbed aboard and literally road a Disneyland-esque tracked boat to the Palace Tower through gorgeous grounds with bird sanctuaries and Koi ponds and Japanese-influenced landscaping and decoration. The tower we are in is maybe 7 stories high and the center is open-air with huge trees. We are on the second floor in a humongous room with a king bed, couch, table-and-chairs, pretty big bathroom and a walk-in closet. Oh, and air-conditioning. Thank god for that.

I have to run - there's a swim this morning and I have to start walking to the lobby as it takes 15 minutes (no joke, it's like a mile to the lobby) - but will finish updating later this afternoon when I finally have some free time...